What to say about “Wishmaster 4”? On the one hand, it’s better than its immediate predecessor, but then again, so is a loaded diaper. It’s great that returning director Chris Angel has replaced Jason Connery with the infinitely more charismatic Michael Trucco as the human form of the Djinn here, but original “Wishmaster” star Andrew Divoff’s absence is still keenly felt even two movies after his exit from the franchise. Everything else about “Wishmaster 4” just fades into the background, even as you’re watching it: It was only a week ago that I saw this for the first time, and despite an attentive viewing, I struggled to remember even the outline of the plot, let alone any of the characters or their motivations. In some ways it’s the worst kind of horror sequel, because it purports to be adding to an overall mythology but it’s only a flagrant attempt to shoehorn a plodding, unrelated story into an existing property with marketability potential, and any cinematic quality the finished product has is, at best, incidental. There’s just no reason to watch this.
Rating: ★ (out of 5)
